Electric time-switch.



PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904.

A. W. HUTGHINS.

ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27. 1904.

mum/m? UNITED STATES Patented August 2, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ELECTRIC TIME-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,256, dated August 2, 1904. Application filed April 27, 1904:. Serial No. 205,102. (No model.)

To all whom. it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. HUToHINs, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Cut-Outs for Electric Switches,

of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to a new and useful improvement in automatic cut-outs for electric time or other switches, the device or attachment beingmore particularly adapted to be employed in the automatic electric timeswitch patented to H. K. Gardner, September 30, 1902, in United States Patent No. 710,146.

In time-switches of the class or kind last referred to the mechanism is usually actuated by means of suitable normally stationary motors whose movements are controlled by continuously-runni-ng time or clock mechanism arranged to trip a releasing or escapement device at any predetermined hour or time. An objection to the employment of such former electric switches is that they are usually unprovided with automatic means whereby the switch may be made temporarily inoperative say for a day or more at a time, as during holidays, Sundays, &c.-the time mechanism itself meanwhile being in continuous action.

The primary object I have in view in this present invention is to provide the electric time-switch with an auxiliary attachment or device, the construction of which is simple, inexpensive, efficient, and not liable to get out of order. The device may be readily adjusted or set as desired, its movements being controlled by the motor or clock mechanism.

To that end the invention consists, essentially, in the combination, with escapement and tripping or releasing mechanisms and means for operating and normally controlling the movements of the same, of an auxiliary cutout device consisting of a revoluble star-wheel operatively connected with said escapement mechanism and means capable of moving in unison with said wheel arranged whereby the escapement mechanism is automatically made temporarily inoperative at any predetermined time or hour or day, the star-wheel being located in the path of some of the members of thecontinuonsly-moving tripping or releasing means and adapted to be actuated thereby, all

as more fully hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, illustrating one form of my improved automatic cut-out, Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the device operatively connected with an automatic electric time-switch. Fig. 2 is a partial front view, in enlarged scale, showing the device or cut-out in normal action. Fig. 3 is a corresponding side or edge view. Fig. 4 is a front view showing the escapement mechanism temporarily inoperative with respect to the time-motor. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on line m m of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the time-dial and tripping members mounted on the center spindle of the clock mechanism; and Fig. 7 is a partial front view similar to Fig. 4., showing a modified construction of the star-wheel, 620.

Before describing the invention hereinafter claimed I will briefly describe the construction and manner of operation of the self-contained time -switch proper. (Illustrated in Fig. 1.) The frame or standard B has a suitable clock-movement C secured to its upper portion. It also supports the several members constituting the switch-escapement mechanism, &c. An insulated stationary disk E carries the several poles of the circuit, said poles being provided with the usual yielding conducting brushes 0;, which in turn are adapted to be intermittingly engaged by contact-pins a, secured to two independent conducting-plates u, the latter being fastened to an insulated switch member a, secured to the front or outer end of the motor-actuated shaft .9 A bell-crank lever (0 of the escapement mechanism is pivoted at a to the frame, the lower arm of the lever being attached to a retractingspring (4 (See Fig. 2.) To the front end of the horizontal arm of the lever a are secured two short pins (4* a", adapted and arranged to coact with corresponding pins 5* 5 fixed to the rear face of the releasing-lever b, mounted in front of lever a. The outer end of the latter has a notch a therein to receive the tongue 6 of a fixed stop 6, thereby limiting the short angular movement of the lever. To the clock-spindlcc is secured a suitably graduated time-dial d. To the'backof the dial is mounted a pair of axially-adjustable fingers h, each having ashort arm -/L arranged at an angle therewith and constituting what may be termeda time-tripper. The.

free end of each arm 71 is so arranged that in moving around in itscircular path it will normally engage a pin (4 projecting from the upper end of a short lever n, pivoted to an extension a of the said bell crank lever (0. Thus it will appear that the action of the timetrippers automatically depresses the lever (0 against the stop 0, thereby disengaging the pins (0* and Z) from each other, at which instant the lever 6, &c. of the escapement mechanism are released, followed by the action of the motor, which latter quickly rotates the switch members ninety degrees. As thus far described, the arrangement of the apparatus is such that the switch sis made operativewhenever the free end of the continuously-revolving time-trippers hengage the pin. a of the escapement-mechanism lever a, normally lying in the trippers path.

Now the present improvement has for its object the introduction of means capable of being employed for rendering the escapement mechanism and the switch proper automatically inoperative at any predetermined time or dayas, for example, on holidays, Sundays, &c. r. having as many points or teeth as desired. The drawings represent a fourteen-toothed wheel. This wheel is mounted to turn on a pivot r, secured to the said extension a of the bell-crank lever a, and is located below the clock-spindle 0, the teeth being arranged in the path of the revolving time-trippers it. The wheel is or may be provided with a circular series of suitably-spaced holes r adapted to receive short pins r therein. The said lever or arm 11, also pivoted to the extension a as before stated, has its lower end of curved or cam-shaped and adapted when the device is normally working to successively and slidably engage the pins r that is to say, in case all the holes are fitted with the pins r the switch is adapted to be actuated normally or daily, the engagement of the part a with the pins being effected by means of a light spring t, having its free end bearing against a pin a, secured to the lever 71.. A stop-pin n mounted in a serves to limit the rearward movement of the lever, while a similar pin 72?, coacting with a recess a of the lever, limits its forward movement, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

In case it is desirable to prevent the lever n from partaking of the small angular movement and also to prevent it from touching the pins 1 or, in other words, to lock it to the part a of lever a, a pin may be inserted through a hole 127 in lever 01, into a hole a registering therewith, located in a as clearly shown.

From the foregoing it is obvious that in case To that end I provide a small star-wheel one or more of the pins r be removed from the wheel 1 thereby leaving a correspondinglyenlarged peripheral space between them, the lower end a of the spring-pressed lever n will quickly swing inwardly until arrested by the stop-pin a whenever the said pin-omitted portion of the intermittingly-revoluble star-wheel is brought adjacent the lever. (See Fig. 4.) In this position it will be seen that the timetrippers hare then adapted to freely pass by the pin a of the escapement-mechanism lever. In case all the pins r be removed from the wheel it is clear that the main switch would then remain open or inactive, although each of the moving trippers would engage with and rotate the wheel one tooth or division during each revolution of the dial (Z. A spring check or stop 2; may be used to prevent the wheel from accidentally turning rearwardly.

In lieu of the drilled wheel 1", adapted to carry a series of removable pins 7 it may be provided with an axially-adj ustable cam member it, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 7. The said members 7* and I: may be fastened together by a suitable pin k, as indicated. In this arrangement the construction of the other members constituting the cut-out attachment remain practically unchanged.

Instead of intermittingly actuating the star wheel by means of the time-trippers it thesame result may be attained by inserting a pin k in the rear face of the time-dial (Z, as indicated in Fig. 6, the center of the wheel r and lower portion of lever 11. being in such case correspondingly lowered. In either case it will be seen that the members 72- engage the pin a to normally depress the lever a, as before described.

What I claim as new, and. desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is

1. The combination substantially as hereinbefore described with an automatic electric time or other switch provided with continuously-movable time-trippers, and escapement mechanism adapted to be normally released to operate the switch at a predetermined time by means of said time-trippers, said escapement mechanism including a movable lever a, of a revoluble star-wheel 9* movable with said lever, a member revolving in unison with the time mechanism arranged to engage with and intermittingly actuate said wheel, and means interposed between and operatively connected with the star-wheel and escapement mechanism, arranged whereby the latter and the switch are automatically cut out and rendered temporarily inoperative, the wheel itself however being normally revoluble, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an electric time-switch, escapement mechanism provided with a movable lever 60, a spring-pressed lever n pivoted thereto, and continuously-revoluble time-trippers adapted to engage with and depress said levers to release the escapement mechanism, as in openmg and closing the switch, in combination with a revoluble star-wheel movable with said lever a, means arranged with respect to said wheel adapted to maintain the lever n in normal working relation to the time-trippers, and a member revolving in unison with the time mechanism arranged to engage with and intermittingly actuate said wheel, substantially as described.

3. In an electric switch of the class described,

escapement and releasing mechanism through t. The combination with escapement mech anism provided with a swinging lever to, tripping or releasing mechanisms and means for operating and normally controlling the movements of the same, of an auxiliary cut-out device consisting of a revoluble star-wheel operatively connected with said escapement mechanism and movable with said lever a, and means, capable of moving in unison with said wheel, arranged whereby the escapement mechanism is automatically made temporarily inoperative at any predetermined time or day, the star-wheel being located in the path of some of the members of the continuouslymoving tripping or releasing means and adapted to be intermittingly revolved thereby, substantially as hereinbefore described.

5. In an electric time-switch, the combination with a spring-pressed escapement-lever (0 having an extension a and a spring-pressed lever n pivotally mounted in said extension and provided with a pin (4 of a star-wheel revolubly mounted on extension a pins r removably secured to said wheel and adapted to be engaged by said lever n, and continuously-revolving time-trippers or clock-comtrolled members mounted in the path of said pin a and the teeth of the star-wheel, substantially as described.

6. In an electric time-switch, the combination witha swinging escapement-lever pro vided with an extension a of a movable pincarrying lever 12 pivoted to said extension, a revoluble star-wheel r also mounted in the latter and in normal engagement with the lower portion of said lever a, means for looking the latter lever in position, and continuously-moving clock-controlled members arranged to engage with and actuate said lever n and star-wheel, substantially as described.

Signed at Providence, Rhode Island, this 23d day of April, 1904:.

ARTHUR W. HUTCHINS. 

